BUSINESS
Advocates Philippines
Ex-FCB Manila Chief Wins Double Victory: Acquitted Of Estafa, Awarded Unpaid Fees
Photo credit: Arnold Liong
A Multinational Advertising Agency has lost its multi-million peso estafa case against its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Arnold Liong.
In a ruling dated October 8, 2025, Presiding Judge Cristina Arcilla Mabazza of the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 141 acquitted Liong, a 17-year veteran of FCB Manila, citing the prosecution's failure to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The decision reverses an earlier conviction by the Makati Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Branch 127.
The lower court had initially sentenced Liong to two years in prison and ordered him to pay P2,030,527.50—the amount equivalent to the alleged fraudulent reimbursements and company expenses he was accused of claiming in 2019.
Liong appealed the MeTC ruling, leading to the RTC’s decision to REVERSE and SET ASIDE the lower court's judgment.
Double Victory
The acquittal comes on the heels of another legal victory for Liong. Earlier this year, an Arbitration Tribunal ruled in his favor regarding a separate dispute over unpaid contractual obligations.
In a final ruling on April 12, 2024, the tribunal—composed of Chairman Salvador S. Panga, Jr., and arbitrators Dranyl Jared P. Amoroso and Teodoro Y. Kalaw IV—ordered FCB Manila to pay Liong his unpaid consultancy fees and separation pay.
The tribunal also dismissed FCB Manila’s counterclaim for the return of funds allegedly stolen between 2013 and 2015 "for lack of merit."
Both the RTC and Arbitration Tribunal decisions include a yearly interest of six percent on the ordered amounts until fully paid.
The disputes were governed under "The Arbitration Act" (Republic Act 876) and the "Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004" (RA 9285).
In a ruling dated October 8, 2025, Presiding Judge Cristina Arcilla Mabazza of the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 141 acquitted Liong, a 17-year veteran of FCB Manila, citing the prosecution's failure to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The decision reverses an earlier conviction by the Makati Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Branch 127.
The lower court had initially sentenced Liong to two years in prison and ordered him to pay P2,030,527.50—the amount equivalent to the alleged fraudulent reimbursements and company expenses he was accused of claiming in 2019.
Liong appealed the MeTC ruling, leading to the RTC’s decision to REVERSE and SET ASIDE the lower court's judgment.
Double Victory
The acquittal comes on the heels of another legal victory for Liong. Earlier this year, an Arbitration Tribunal ruled in his favor regarding a separate dispute over unpaid contractual obligations.
In a final ruling on April 12, 2024, the tribunal—composed of Chairman Salvador S. Panga, Jr., and arbitrators Dranyl Jared P. Amoroso and Teodoro Y. Kalaw IV—ordered FCB Manila to pay Liong his unpaid consultancy fees and separation pay.
The tribunal also dismissed FCB Manila’s counterclaim for the return of funds allegedly stolen between 2013 and 2015 "for lack of merit."
Both the RTC and Arbitration Tribunal decisions include a yearly interest of six percent on the ordered amounts until fully paid.
The disputes were governed under "The Arbitration Act" (Republic Act 876) and the "Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004" (RA 9285).
Dec 4, 2025
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